Harward was a tell tale example. It is basically pay as you go. $50 billion endowment.
Locked up in illiquidity and had to raise funds.
GUNDLACH MOVING AWAY FROM RISK
Moving higher in credit.
A bit less in lower credit.
YIELD CURVE SITUATION
84% of issuance one year or less in maturity
1.75% of the 12 months issuance is on the long end.
THE LIZZ TRUSS RIsk
Lizz Truss, the gilt went up 150 bps. 30-35% drop in Gilts.
That was a buyer strike, might cause that type of action.
That might cause a WWII type of situation with rate of 2.5% with manipulation of yields.
Our comment:
Bessent has seen that, and that’s why it is issued on the long end, and there is very little on the long end. BUT paradoxically the issuance had an effect on the curve and not sooo much on the long end but on repo and mid-curve. Another point though is that a LOT of long end maturity bonds are held abroad vs WWII
FOREIGN MONEY RISK
3 TR net position long in the US was from foreigners 18 years ago
28 TRILLION TR last year, so no wonder stocks went up.
This position has reversed in recent quarters, and there were recently flows out.
And that’s why Gundlach is a bit of a currency raider.
POSITIONING:
He does not want us stocks, no value and the market is inn topping process.
Bit and pieces on allocation 25% gold (it increased because it went up so much)
40% foreign stocks , no US stocks.
Q&A PRIVATE CREDIT CONTAGION EFFECT IN BANKING: YES
One more indicator: ETF for retail:
“Ultimate sin” he said.
Private credit once again the leading candidate for the next Financial shock.
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The fed is signalling that it will restart monetization of gov debt. Why?
It is not QE, it is monetization. Yes, there is a difference.
Why would any central bank be crazy enough to stimulate a bubble?
There are problems with debt absorption.
We have discussed that before with the problems of repo.
Dalio is talking about monetization not QE. We’ll explain the change in denomination.
1/23 BESSENT THE HEDGE FUND FARMER
As I was reading the piece from Joseph Wang on repo, I remember my readings from different sources and notably from the BIS on systemic risk that showed up in April 2025.
In fact the FED is forced to backstop the dgeneracy of the repo market and hedge fund. The Negative haircuts on UST decried as a source of systemic risk by the BIS. x.com/FedGuy12/statu…
So what are hedge funds doing with REPO in present of a large primary deficit?
2/23 THE CORE MECHANISM (Simplified)
The U.S. government is spending $2 trillion more than it collects each year → it must issue $2 trillion in new Treasury bonds/bills annually.
Who buys all these Treasuries?
Not just pension funds or foreign central banks (who pay with cash).
A huge chunk is bought by hedge funds, proprietary trading desks, and dealers—but they don’t use their own cash.
Instead, they use leverage:
They borrow cash overnight in the repo market.
They use the newly bought Treasury as collateral for that loan.
This lets them control $100 of Treasuries with only $5–$10 of their own capital. (and in fact with negative haircut as explained by the BIS and it’s a key point)
hy do they do this?
Mainly to run the cash-futures basis trade:
Long the actual Treasury (bought with repo cash),
Short the corresponding Treasury futures contract.
Profit if the two prices converge (which they usually do… until they don’t).
We will explain why they didn’t and it’s structural
The catch: This trade only works if repo funding is cheap and reliable.
And because trillions of dollars of these trades exist, they create massive, ongoing demand for repo loans—not once, but every single day, since repo is often rolled overnight.
It’s that every new Treasury issued is potentially fuel for another leveraged trade, which needs more repo financing.
More deficit → more Treasury issuance → more leveraged buying → more demand for repo.
The lenders of repo cash (money market funds, banks) are finite.
As they run out of “easy” cash (e.g., from the Fed’s RRP facility), they demand higher rates to lend.
Repo rates rise above the Fed’s Interest on Reserves (IOR)—a red flag that funding is getting tight.
3/23 WHAT WANG ARGUES AND WHY THE BIS “SMIRKING” ABOUT IT
Key insight: Even if the Fed flooded the system with reserves, as long as fiscal deficits keep growing and leveraged demand keeps rising, that cash will eventually get absorbed.
Hence: “Without a change in fiscal policy, any amount of cash will ultimately be exhausted.”
“That cash will eventually get absorbed”
The Bank of International settlement is saying “not so fast” Jo. Let’s remember what happened in April.
1/18 FISCAL DOMINANCE and PORK-BARREL BILLIONAIRES
ORACLE’s $38 billion data center debt offering.
The crony Inflationistas, caramba!
$ORCL will do inflation arbitrage — let’s explain…
2/18
Ok, basically Bessent is telling all corporates: “Borrow and spend now, because I won’t be able to hold that curve down for long, boys!” I am going to run out of foreign (UK) and domestic patsies (Morgan Stanley) to do bond stuffing and repress that curve.
@BankRegData
3/18
Some commentary and studies suggest that Oracle receives a substantial portion (e.g., “at least 25–30%”) — and likely a higher share of its new data center capacity — tied to government or quasi-government entities,
1/25 The Lessons of fiat money from the XVIIIth century
For someone using classical economics who has abundant archives about the widespread use of fiat currencies at the end of the 18th century,
2/25 ...the wording used by the financial press of today is very weird. People talk about gold rising?
Let’s review what Henry Thornton says about the possibility of the BoE lending too much money to the government.
3/25 He does not see, in 1793, the possibility of the BoE lending too much to the government (in 1 red). (not expecting a long war with Napoleon probably)
1/17 About de-dollarization in action (not a Myth listen to Rogoff), US interest rates, And Gold Warrants.
Ethiopia wants to follow the steps of Kenya and convert its USD debt to Yuan.
2/17 Ethiopia's main exports to China include coffee, oilseeds (like soybeans), and sesame seeds. China also imports other agricultural products and raw materials such as cotton, dried legumes, and leather from Ethiopia.
3/17 This trade is supported by a zero-tariff policy that China has implemented for 100% of goods from Ethiopia since 2024, aiming to reduce the trade imbalance between the two nations.
THE BIG FAT REGULATORY ARBITRAGE BETWEEN BASEL II BASEL III
How the Boiler room of procyclical mark to model under Basel II in banks leading to the GFC was stopped in banks by Basel III but moved to NDFIs - private equity not subject Basel
2/25
It all started in 2000 with IFRS accounting. The EU endorsed those procyclical standards even though bankers and politicians in Germany and France were against it, as they fear that accounting procyclicality would promote “irrational bubbles...
3/25
...in expanding period and amplify downswing movements in contracting period”. The fair value accounting was pushed under the guise of "transparency" bis.org/bcbs/publ/wp28…